Ladies First introduces young readers to 40 American women of achievement who were first in their field. A full-page portrait begins each informative three-page profile. The life stories of these women are as inspiring as they are diverse. The book provides a vital starting point for report writers and researchers, and a rich source of information for fact lovers of all ages. Who was the first woman to row across the Atlantic? Or to swim the English Channel? Or to graduate from medical school? A rich source of educational and historic material for students, the book also highlights inspirational role models for girls. Who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize? And the first to win a Nobel Prize for Literature? Who was the first female African-American self-made millionaire? And the first African-American Poet Laureate?

Forword -- Introduction -- Wilma Mankiller -- Elizabeth Blackwell -- Wilma Rudolph -- Victoria Murden -- Margaret Bourke-White -- Susan Butcher -- Jane Addams -- Madam C. J. Walker -- Nellie Bly -- Emma Hart Willard -- Lynn Hill -- Phyllis Wheatley -- Stacy Allison -- Marian Anderson -- Katherine Switzer -- Frances Perkins -- Harriet Quimby -- Pearl S. Buck -- Olga Samaroff Stokowski -- Carrie Chapman Catt -- Shirley Muldowney -- Sally Priesand -- Julia Morgan -- Gertrude Ederle -- Jane Roberts -- Georgia O'Keeffe -- Kathleen McGrath -- Fanny Bullock Workman -- Eve Queler -- Rita Dove -- Helen Keller -- Antonia Novello -- Brenda Berkman -- Laura Ingalls Wilder -- Dian Fossey -- Sacagawea -- Edna St. Vincent Millay -- Martha Graham -- Katherine Graham -- Maria Tallchief -- Quote sources -- Selected bibiography -- Chronology -- Index.